“A 22-year-old woman from Rajkot, Pooja Chauhan, was forced to take to the streets in her undergarments to protest harassment by her husband and in-laws over dowry demands. Chauhan was also victimised because of bearing a girl child, which is absurd since it's the male chromosomes that determine the sex of a child. She accused the police of refusing to register her complaints, which she said provoked her to take the drastic action of walking semi-nude on a busy thoroughfare. This immediately resulted in the police arresting the woman's husband and in-laws.

That a young woman had to resort to such extreme action is a blot on the Indian legal system. Ironically, India has stringent — some would say even draconian — laws to prevent dowry-related harassment. The Dowry Prohibition Act is applicable if a married woman dies under mysterious circumstances. Under the Act, the accused, usually the husband and sometimes in-laws, are presumed guilty unless they can prove their innocence. The Act is applicable for the first seven years of a couple's married life. If a married woman is subjected to cruelty, Section 498-A of the Indian Penal Code is applicable. Under this section, offenders are liable for imprisonment as well as a fine for an offence deemed to be harassment, whether mental or physical. The offence is non-bailable and non-compoundable and can be registered on a complaint made to the police by the victim or her relatives.

These are harsh measures by any standard. Indeed, the anti-dowry provisions run counter to a cardinal principle of law: a person is presumed innocent unless proved guilty. Clearly, the problem is not with the law itself but the position of women in India. Unfortunately, women are still seen as a financial burden by large swathes of the population. This can change only if women are economically empowered. As soon as they start to work and earn as much as, or even more, than their husbands the entire equation changes. Married couples often move out of a joint family household into a nuclear set-up, and away from oppressive in-laws.

The other aspect, which is more difficult to change, is the acceptance of dowry. Stamping out dowry has proved to be very difficult. If existing anti-dowry laws were stringently enforced, it would be a deterrent. The Rajkot police's reluctance to register an FIR on the woman's earlier complaints was disgusting. The police must act swiftly and decisively when dowry complaints are brought before them to help the Pooja Chauhans of our country before they have to take extreme steps”.

Dowry demands is also part of today's Pakistani society.... but due to very close family structure in Pakistan most of the those cases never come out into public domain.

Pakistani call themselves Muslim and Islam teach us Simplicity... but i can't find any simplicity in Pakistan weddings...any average Pakistani Family could end up spending 80% of there saving on just one wedding.... So where are the Islamic teaching....

Tue Oct 16, 2007 8:53 am

ugwaraichSenior Proud Pakistani

Joined: 22 May 2007Posts: 1731Location: uk

php it would have been better if you would have mentioned that these disgusting customs like dowry come from hindu culture, Islamic teachings donot allow any kind of dowry. Hindu culture have influenced muslims because of living together for more than 1000 years, and also the blunders that muslim rulers have done over the past especially Shehansha Akbar etc.

Tue Oct 16, 2007 9:55 pm

php_webSenior Proud Pakistani

Joined: 14 Oct 2007Posts: 1364

Yes ugwaraich those custom being adopted by Muslim from hindu culture... but they are part of our (Pakistani) culture now.

Now, after 52years of separation in name of "Islam" we as pakistani have not change our culture a bit... but still pointing fingers at the mistakes of past generation. Let be honest here and take a look what's really inspire Pakistani Wedding now a days....Only Nekka is islam but all the rest ???

Tue Oct 16, 2007 10:21 pm

shani10Pak Newbie

Joined: 21 Sep 2007Posts: 3

sd

dsd

Thu Oct 18, 2007 5:43 am

php_webSenior Proud Pakistani

Joined: 14 Oct 2007Posts: 1364

Un-Islamic Marriages In Pakistan Deny Women’s Rights

ISLAMABAD, May 27 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Pakistan’s landowners are reverting back to century old customs and traditions to save their family land from being further divided at the cost of female members of the family who are often deprived of their basic rights.

Barter marriages, so-called ‘marriages to the Qur’an’ and other customs are followed to deprive women from their right to inheritance. These customs are especially popular among the rich, influential feudal families of the province of Sindh and Punjab where every effort is made to prevent female members from having their (legal) share of the family property so that it does not go out of the family in case of their marriage.

One of the most practiced ways of saving land from division is to prevent women from getting married, or if necessary, arrange their marriages in a way to keep the family land intact.

Rich landlords in Punjab and Sindh follow these traditions only to save their lands from going into the hands of other families. According to un-Islamic inheritance laws, female members of the families have the right to lay claim to their share of land once they get married. This law divides the family land and everything is done to stop this division.

In Sindh and southern Punjab where the feudal system is stronger, female members of the family are “married” to the Qur’an, although this custom has nothing to do with the Islamic religion. In a ceremony, the woman is pronounced to be the “wife” of the Qur’an after she is asked to accept the Qur’an as her “husband”. Local marriage registration officer is also invited to witness the ceremony and record the event in the official books.

The “bride” of Qur’an is honored as a religious saint and she lives for the rest of her life as a virgin and is considered free of worldly desires.

But as feudal lords in these areas are putting their male children through higher education, marriage to the Qur’an is losing popularity. At least this is no more the first choice. The feudal lords now prefer Vatta Satta, local name for barter marriage. Landlord families take each other’s females as brides with the promise that they will not claim the females’ legal share of inheritance.

These marriages are often unmatched. Saleema Soomro, 13 year old daughter of a rich landlord, was married to a 34-year-old man of another tribe because the sister of his husband was married to her brother. By doing this barter arrangement, the two landlord families ensure that in-laws of their daughter would not claim inherited property.

Commoners As Well

But Abdul Tawab Sheikh, a researcher on this issue says the Vatta Satta custom is not only practiced among the feudal lords but commoners also practice this for various reasons. “One most important reason for such barter marriages is to guarantee the safety and honor of one’s daughter,” Sheikh, who has extensively researched on the menaces of Pakistani feudal system, told IslamOnline.net.

In some cases, Sheikh said barter marriages are part of a package deal which sometimes includes pieces of land, cattle and cash.

The Islamic Ideological Council has termed the marriage with Qur’an un-Islamic and suggested to the government to pass legislation to declare this practice illegal and punishable.

According to renowned lawyer and social worker Sana Ullah Zahid, since the country’s supreme body to safeguard the Islamic laws has termed the wedding to the Qur’an un-Islamic, these marriages now take place in secrecy.

“Now it is not as open as it used to be. They do it secretly now,” Zahid said about the marriage ceremony which used to be celebrated as a normal wedding in the past. Zahid said many of the country’s famous politicians with feudal backgrounds practice the same tradition at home and talk of human rights when they come to Islamabad.

“This is one of the most brutal violations of human rights,” Zahid added.

“This so-called ‘marriage to the Qur’an’ and calling the Qur’an a ‘husband’ and the virgin Muslim a ‘wife’ of the Qur’an has never been heard of throughout Islamic history. This is a totally unacceptable bid`ah (innovation). These non-Islamic practices can be traced to Jewish legends and perhaps other religious legends or superstitions. Such practices shall pave the way to more innovations and violations in Islam,” Dr. Abu Laylah said.

“It is amazing that a Muslim can think of such tricky ideas to support and justify his personal desires and whims. Every Muslim should know that nothing can be hidden from Allah; our intentions, like our actions, are known to Him and shall be weighed for us and thus we shall be rewarded or punished accordingly.

“Concerning the inheritance and the deprivation of female Muslims from it, we say that it is totally forbidden by Allah and it is severely punishable in this world and the Hereafter. In order to emphasize the right of women to inherit Allah named the Surah in which the inheritance shares are nominated by Allah as Surat an-Nisa’ (The Women’s Surah).

“Allah did not leave it to us to distribute the estate of the deceased but He Himself divided it in minute details because man is greedy by nature and always desiring to accumulate money and acquire wealth and deny other people’s right,” he added.

“As for the barter marriage, it’s known as ash-shighar, which means that two men (for example, two brothers) marry two women (for example, two sisters) from the other family under the condition that there is no mahr (dower paid to the woman). Such ash-shighar marriage will only go through if the “exchange deal” goes through, and this is reason enough to invalidate the two marriages altogether,” the prominent Muslim scholar concluded.

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Sun Oct 21, 2007 11:07 am

chancePak Newbie

Joined: 06 Nov 2007Posts: 1

This is so very sad. Humanity has such potential for goodness, and yet again and again we prove our tendency towards doing harm to our fellow humans.

Tue Nov 06, 2007 9:19 am

abdullahnayyarPak Newbie

Joined: 07 Nov 2007Posts: 1

hey

very good.mush is (I am bitch)

Wed Nov 07, 2007 10:57 pm

junaidiPak Newbie

Joined: 05 Nov 2007Posts: 4

man thats funny...
indian women...

Thu Nov 08, 2007 3:10 pm

HollowSenior Member Pakistani

Joined: 30 Nov 2007Posts: 822

This is really a breath taking story .I feel sorry for that girl.Mostly the women are suffering from such attitudes in every department of life.This is a discrimination and it should be stopped.

Tue Dec 25, 2007 1:35 am

HollowSenior Member Pakistani

Joined: 30 Nov 2007Posts: 822

Most of the societies are male dominant thats why we see such incidents.This is a discremination and it must be stopped.